1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an infrared detector device for detecting infrared radiation which employes a Group III-V compound semiconductor material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There presently exists a large market for systems which can detect infrared radiations, especially for night vision. Detector systems for infrared radiations are well known in the prior art and exist in many different forms. Infrared radiation detection systems which have found a great deal of acceptance in recent years have been based upon an alloy of mercury, cadmium and tellurium in stoichiometric amounts with the ratio of mercury to cadmium being adjustable to tune the material to the frequency of the infrared radiation. Such materials are known in the art as HgCdTe to include the broad spectrum of these materials. These HgCdTe materials are presently in preferred materials for second generation infrared detection systems.
Despite the great acceptance of the prior art mercury, cadmium, telluride materials, these materials are subject to certain problems such as, material size and purity, maturity of integrated circuit technology for substrates in other materials, the relatively high dark currents encountered compared to the optical currents, the relative instability of the surfaces thereof due to anodic oxidation which provides interfaces that are unable to stand up to 100.degree. C. environmental conditions, and the like. It is therefore desirable that, not only should the prior art HgCdTe technology be improved, but also, it is desirable that other materials be explored for infrared detectors which have properties superior to those found in existing systems.